The present invention relates to a connector element having individual wire hooks arranged adjacent to one another for attaching to one end of a conveyor belt. Each wire hook has a loop region, shanks that are connected to the loop region, and angled tips that are connected to the shanks. The connector element also has a strip-like substrate for holding the wire hooks. The substrate is provided with apertures arranged parallel to one another for receiving the wire hooks therein. The loop region of each wire hook is gripped in an associated one of the apertures. The connector element also has an adhesive layer that is applied to that side of the substrate which faces the shanks of the wire hooks.
To connect two ends of a conveyor belt, one connector element is attached to each end of the conveyor belt. Once the connector elements have been connected to the belt ends, the belt ends are positioned such that the loop regions mesh. A coupling rod is then inserted into the overlap loop regions of the two connector elements, so that the two ends of the belt are securely interconnected.
In order for the wire hooks to be properly attached to each end of the conveyor belt, the individual wire hooks must be precisely positioned relative to one another in a pre-defined parallel arrangement. This position must be maintained from the time the connector elements are produced until they are attached to the end of a belt. In most cases, this is accomplished by means of a transverse wire that is rigidly connected to the individual wire hooks, and thus positively positions them relative to one another as necessary. EP 1 338 825 A1 describes such an arrangement, for instance.
In some applications, it may be desirable to cover the wire hooks after they have been attached to the end of an associated conveyor belt. The cover may be either to protect the metal wire hooks from wear caused by the material transported on the belt, or to ensure that the materials on the transport belt are not damaged by the wire hooks. Thus, especially when the belt is moved in a concave belt guide and/or must move through a plurality of deflection rollers, there is a risk that one or more of the wire hooks will break. Also, in a connection in which a transverse wire is used to position the wire hooks relative to one another, there is a risk that the transverse wire will break, and broken ends of the wire hooks will project beyond the transport plane of the belt.
EP 1 338 825 A1 describes a connector element for attaching to one end of a conveyor belt having features like those discussed above. In the specifically illustrated exemplary embodiment of EP 1 338 825 A1, a transverse wire is used to position the wire hooks. Prior to attaching the connector element to the end of a conveyor belt, the wire hooks are arranged parallel to one another and supported only in the aperture of the strip-like substrate. The adhesive layer that is applied to the substrate does not contact the shanks of the wire hooks or completely cover them and the region of the conveyor belt that is adjacent to the angled tips of the wire hooks, until the connector element is attached to the belt end, that is, when the positioning jaws of the clamping apparatus close and deform or clench the wire hooks.
A connector element for a similar application is described in WO 2007/025567 A1, but this design does not use a transverse wire for positioning the individual wire hooks. Instead, the substrate or carrier strip is provided with three parallel rows of apertures, rather than just one row of apertures, as disclosed in EP 1 338 825 A1. The loop regions of the wire hooks pass through the center row of apertures, and the shanks of the wire hooks pass through the outer rows of apertures. Each wire hook is consequently gripped or retained in the regions of the three substrate apertures. In this connector element, the side of the substrate that faces the belt is provided with an adhesive layer that contacts the conveyor belt when the connector element is attached to the conveyor belt, similar to the EP 1 338 825 A1 connector. However, because of the three rows of apertures in the substrate, the substrate does not completely cover the wire hooks in the regions of the two outer rows of apertures.